TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The University of Indonesia's Student Executive Body (BEM UI) sent a condolence flower wreath to the State Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday, May 21, 2026. The 2026 Coordinator of the Social and Political Affairs Division of BEM UI, Hafidz Haernanda, confirmed that they had sent the flower arrangement.
"The flower arrangement is a symbolic gesture for the death of reform," said Hafidz when asked for confirmation on Friday, May 22, 2026.
Reform, Hafidz said, was not a simple thing to realize; unlike turning over one's hand, reform was achieved through struggle, even resulting in loss of life and activists who have been disappeared and still remain unaccounted for.
"The reform that was born from blood, tears, and the struggle of the people, is losing its soul today at the hands of power that continues to betray the ideals of democracy," expressed Hafidz.
Not only was the condolence wreath an expression of mourning, Hafidz emphasized that it's a warning sign that the state is slowly burying the promises of reform.
"Reform has been corrupted, crippled, and now died. BEM UI extends its deepest condolences for the death of reform at the age of 28," said Hafidz.
Previously, BEM UI held a symbolic protest titled #ReforMATI at the Tugu Makara UI, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, followed by participating in a Kamisan action together with other student bodies and civil alliances the next day.
Read: UI Students Declare 'Reform Is Dead' in Symbolic Protest
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